Cary taxpayers are on the hook for a total of $225,000 in out-of-pocket legal fees and court costs over the town’s defense of its sign ordinance that regulated content on personal property, which common sense told you was an infringement on free speech. The case stems from resident David Bowden’s sign that read: Screwed By the Town of Cary.
From the Cary News: (emphasis is mine)
And the true cost is probably much higher because the cost doesn’t include the time town attorney’s spent on the case.
If the town doesn’t appeal, its sign rules would remain largely intact.
The judge didn’t vanquish the entire ordinance but instead issued an injunction prohibiting the town from fining Bowden.
The judge, however, did find the portion of the ordinance regulating signs on personal property amounted to a “content-based restriction on speech,” suggesting it could face more legal challenges if enforced as it currently stands.
